SH3 Commander and port 'stop-overs'
 

Hi again,

When using SH3 Commander, every time I finish a patrol I exit the game, then update my profile in SH3 Commander, and re-launch the game with it to begin the next one.

Thing is, what will happen when I use a 'stop-over' refuelling port, or a resupply ship like the one found in Cadiz Harbour?

Will it affect SH3 Commander - ie, will I have to exit the game when docked at one of these to update the profile, or can I just put to sea straight away after refuelling, issuing medals etc. without it affecting anything?

Hope you can advise - I would hate to lose my current career due to a mistake.

Thanks all,

Px3000

SH3 1.4b - GW1.1a - SH3 Commander - SH3Gen - soon to use SH3 Weather

I think if you have last version 2.6 SH3 Cdr recognizes you are docked at a milk cow/supply ship and takes only 1 day for the stop. Before this version I was using a program called SH3 Patrol to adjust the stop time and enter a patrol grid instead of the default "null".

Corsair is correct, in previous versions of SHCMDR, it'd assume that u spend 28 days at each base you docked, so if you docked at a milk cow....well :).

But not anymore i think...not sure though, haven't refuelled in any friendly bases yet.

Stopping at friendly ports or milkcows effectively ends that patrol. You should exit the game and relaunch through SH3 Cmdr. It will automatically give you a one day layover plus the usual one day per percent of hull repair (if needed). You also will be assigned a NULL patrol grid, so use SH3 Cmdr to set a new one if desired.

If you use SH3Cmd 2.6 and above you will be docked to a milk cow for one day plus any extra day you need to repair damages. You can also adjust the amount of time you spend at your home base in the options menu. So if you want to hunt all the time you can set it to one day, otherwise you can leave it to the default of 29. Every time you dock to a friendly base/milk cow your patrol ends, by awarding you renown, medals, kills etc. A new patrol then starts but you do not have an assigned grid for patrol (so no renown for that).

Hi Melnibonian,

Does that mean I don't have to exit the game at each re-supply vessel and launch it again via SH3 Commander? - or did I mis-read it?

Thanks

Px3000

Hello

No Milk Cows and other friendly ports do act like a base. So once you dock at them your mission finishes. That's why you are awarded medals, tonnage, renown etc. Once docked you can re-supply your boat (but you cannot upgrade it!!) and fix any damages it has. Once your boat is ready for action again (either in one day or more if your hull is damaged) you can lunch a new mission (that means a new NULL patrol grid as well). To start a new mission you can either exit the game and lunch it again via SH3Cmd or you can exit in the SH3 Main Menu, load your career and lunch the new mission, it's the same thing. Am I answering your question ??? If not please let me know as I might misunderstood it.

Hi, I think so......:know:

So, take this example to see if I'm getting it right (having a bad day in the office, not thinking straight):

On patrol I enter Cadiz Harbour, rendezvous with the supply ship Thalia, hit Esc and choose Dock with Supply Ship.

OK, I now distribute medals & promotions etc. Now, once I have done all that and return to the officers room I exit the game completely, relaunch SH3 via SH3 Commander?

Or.....

Once I have passed out medals etc. I can just click on the map to begin a new mission?

If you can clarify which of the 2 I should be doing that would be great!

Thanks

Px3000

PS - One other thing - I don't lose the renown I have already gained by docking at a supply do I?

"OK, I now distribute medals & promotions etc. Now, once I have done all that and return to the officers room I exit the game completely, relaunch SH3 via SH3 Commander?"

yes:yep:

You dont lose the renown - its added to your total
Its basically a new patrol and any new sinkings are just that
When you get to your home port you will only have renown for the patrol AFTER leaving the milchcow

Cheers Guys!

Thanks for the answers!

Px3000

Hey
Very bad weather and seriously out of fuel forced us to enter Wilhelmshaven instead of homeport Kiel. Once in port did as mentioned above re medals etc saved, exited and reloaded SH3Commander. Decided we deserved a 2 week break after the long patrol north of Scotland (and current date is 24 december 1939 after all...) and selected a new patrolgrid a bit closer to home (AN73).

But after starting up again, we got kicked out of harbour the next day (25 dec) under armed escorte and with a NULL grid and no mission orders?

Tried several times, even selecting a save before entering Wilhemshaven and doing it all over, but no luck. One reload even gave me the clearest, bluest and brightest ocean I've ever seen - and nothing else all around. wth?! A map look-up said we were 800 km south of the african Goldcoast and 1500 km west of Gabon! :huh:

Found SH3Patrol and now have mission order for grid AN73, but the NULL value still shows... What am I doing wrong? Using SH3Commander ver. 2.61 which according to the readme should be able to handle this docking in friendly port thing?

The "no orders and NULL grid" means that your orders are now to return to your home base. It's the standard SHIII assignment anytime you dock somewhere other than home. SH3 Commander changes the days in port, but that part stays the same.

Of course it doesn't say you can't go back out anywhere you want and sink a bunch of ships before ending up at home...

SH3Commander 2.6 will give you one day in another port
If you wasnt using it you would have got 28 days which is the standard time in between patrols

It does sometimes happen that you can end up by Africa though not sure why

This is usually caused by installing mods mid-career (not to be confused with mid-patrol).

If the base you have docked at no longer exists, or has even been moved just a small amount, SH3 will send you to the west coast of Africa - or to be more specific, to 0 degrees lat, 0 degrees long.

I would summise that the reason for this is because SH3 can't reconcile the lat/long/heading values in your save game file (Careers_0.cfg) to a base in the LND file. No match = no "home".